Taking serious note of the spurious drugs menace in the State, a committee of legislators today asked the Government to take strong action against both the medicos and the pharmaceutical outlets responsible for passing around poisonous medicines.Chairing a meeting of the Committee on Estimates to review the functioning of Health and Medical Education Department, Mr Javaid Hassan Beigh, MLA asked the Controller, Drug and Food Control Organization to submit, within three days, a comprehensive report to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat, regarding how many samples of drugs the Organisation has lifted from various areas of the State for testing. “The Government must act tough to break the nexus between the medicos and the substandard pharmaceutical companies who are playing with the lives of the innocent people,” the Chairman said adding that a mechanism should also be put in place for rationalization of the prices of drugs especially the vaccines to prevent the common people from being fleeced by the “greedy” pharmaceutical companies.
Legislators, Mr Mubarak Gul, Mr Ishfaq Ahmed Sheikh, Mr Ranbir Singh Pathania, Mr Shakti Raj Parhiar, Mr Dina Nath Bhagat, Er Abdul Rashid, Raja Manzoor Ahmed, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather and Mr Romesh Arora were present in the meeting.Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Mr. M. K. Bandari, Doctor General Indian System of Medicines, Principal Medical College Jammu/Kashmir, Director Health Services Jammu/Kashmir, Drug Controller J&K, Director project NHM, Director Family Welfare J&K and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.The Committee also sought an update from the Government on establishment of AIIMS, making functional super-speciality hospital in Srinagar and setting up of new medical colleges in the State.Threadbare discussions were also held on the shortage of medical and paramedical staffs in far-flung areas of the State, dumping of solid waste and construction of new hospital buildings in the State.
The Committee was informed that there are presently around 1000 vacancies of doctors and 4000 vacancies of paramedical staff which are being filled up on fast-track basis.The Committee was informed that the Government is in the process of constituting Village Level Monitoring Committees to ensure effective delivery of healthcare facilities to the common people.It was also informed in the meeting that the super-speciality hospital Srinagar will functioning within three months to provide better medicare facilities to the people. It was also informed that the Government has approved five new medical colleges in J&K for which the land has been identified.The members gave various suggestions for further improving the functioning of health and medical education department.